


with an hour to spare

by undieshogun



Category: Fire Emblem: If | Fire Emblem: Fates
Genre: Fluff, M/M, Valentine's Day
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-02-15
Updated: 2017-02-15
Packaged: 2018-09-24 14:55:48
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 2,742
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9767099
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/undieshogun/pseuds/undieshogun
Summary: Valentine's Day isn't a big deal, but it doesn't have to be when all Leo wants is a chance to make Takumi smile.





	

**Author's Note:**

> it's been a while. based loosely off some hc's i discussed with @cerisenn on twitter a few days ago. enjoy!!

The apartment was quiet when Leo got home. It was a little strange at first--Takumi was usually in the kitchen or had the television on around this time. But Leo had gotten off work early today, so it was possible that Takumi was still working.

As he made his way towards the bedroom, however, the low hum of hushed speech made him pause. Takumi was home after all, and on the phone by the sound of it.

Leo turned, meaning to give him some privacy, but then he caught the tail end of one of Takumi's sentences--

"--know he's not really into it, so we probably aren't doing anything tomorrow," Takumi was murmuring to whoever was on the other end.

Leo deliberated for a half-second before electing to stay out in the hallway, leaning his ear towards the closed bedroom door.

Takumi laughed softly. "I know it's Valentine's Day. He just doesn't care about that kind of thing."

Leo raised his eyebrows and checked the date on his phone. He hadn't even noticed.

"No, it doesn't mean he doesn't care about me. He's just really busy these days with the new job," Takumi continued. "What are you guys doing tomorrow?"

Leo frowned as an uncomfortable weight settled in his chest. Takumi was right--Leo didn't really care much for Valentine's Day at all. It was just another massively commercialized holiday in Nohr, and he didn't need something like that to validate his relationship with Takumi.

And, for some strange reason, he had always assumed Takumi felt the same.

"That sounds like fun," Takumi was replying. "Hm? ...No, he's coming in late tomorrow so dinner's kind of off the table...Hah, yeah, same as last year."

Leo couldn't even remember what had happened last year on Valentine's Day. Takumi never mentioned it. He frowned and shifted his weight on his feet restlessly. The longer this went on, the more off it felt.

"Yeah, you two have fun tomorrow," Takumi said. He laughed at the reply from the other side. "What, and be your third wheel? No thanks. ...Yeah, I know. I'll see you later. Bye."

Leo turned on his heel as Takumi ended the conversation, and made his way as quickly and quietly as he could back into the main hall of the apartment. He was placing his bag on the couch just as he heard the bedroom door open, and he looked up as Takumi turned the corner.

Takumi jumped when he saw him, eyes going wide. "Gods, you scared the crap out of me. Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

"I just got back in. We finished early today."

"Oh," Takumi said. He looked lost for a second, as if he wasn't sure what to say.

"Is everything all right?" Leo asked carefully, and there was a part of him wondering if Takumi might bring up Valentine's Day.

"Uh, yeah. No, everything's fine," Takumi said, still looking disoriented. "I'm just a little distracted today, sorry. Do you want to get started on dinner?"

"Sure," Leo said, squashing the mild disappointment. "What do you want?"

Takumi blinked at him. "Um...whatever we have, I guess. I don't really care."

"Why are you staring at me like I've grown a third eye?"

Takumi continued looking at him strangely, eyes crinkling in amusement. "It's nothing. You just haven’t asked me that in a while."

"I haven’t asked you what you want for dinner?"

"No, not really."

Leo rubbed the back of his neck. "Well, I should probably start doing that more."

"It doesn't matter to me," Takumi said. His mouth curved into a teasing smile. "You're the picky one, anyway."

"What? I'm not picky," Leo said. "I just have a more discerning palate than you do."

"Uh, yeah. Which in normal speech means 'picky,'" Takumi retorted.

Leo rolled his eyes. "Well, if you don't have an opinion then you don't get to complain about what we have tonight."

Takumi shrugged. "Fine."

Leo turned and headed for the kitchen. "Even if there's tomato in everything."

"We don't even have that much tomato!"

-:-

The next day, Leo asked his boss to let him off early again.

"I never ask you for anything, Xander," Leo said. "Just do me this one favor."

His brother sighed and crossed his arms. "I know that you are a dedicated worker, Leo, and you always have been. But if I were to let you off early two days in a row, how would that look to your coworkers?"

"Xander--"

"I understand that you want to be at home with Takumi, but it’s not a secret that you and I are family. If everyone else in the company heard of this, it would be very hard to fight off accusations of favoritism."

"It's not that big of a deal, Xander. It's just one extra day off."

"It doesn't seem like a big deal, Leo, but you know how people like to make it into one, especially in this company. It's my job to step carefully and make the difficult choices. Don't make it any harder on me, please."

Leo let out a deep sigh. "All right, I get it."

Xander's expression softened, and he put a hand on Leo's shoulder. "Takumi is a kindhearted person. He'll understand."

"I know he will," said Leo. "It doesn't mean he won't be disappointed."

"Next year," Xander promised. "I'll put it on my calendar right now."

Leo looked down and nodded. "Thanks. I didn't mean to pressure you, Xander."

"No, I understand," Xander said. "I owe both you and Takumi an apology."

Leo shook his head. "We didn't have anything planned, anyway. I was just thinking it would be worth a try."

"I see," Xander said. "Well, if you still wanted to get something for him, I know there are a few stores in the area that will still be open by the time you finish tonight."

"Oh," Leo said. The thought hadn’t even occurred to him. "I think I'll look into that. Thanks."

Leo left Xander's office feeling oddly optimistic. For all that he hadn't managed to wheedle his way out of staying in late, he found that as he started pulling up searches for nearby shops, he was actually excited for how the night would turn out, after all. He looked forward to seeing how Takumi would react--or rather, he hoped to see him smile, at the very least.

Well, maybe there really was a reason why everyone liked Valentine's Day.

-:-

The TV was on when Leo got home despite the late hour, but it was turned low and running through infomercials. Takumi was on the couch, bundled up in blankets and fast asleep. He had stayed up to wait for Leo.

Leo knelt down in front of him and put a hand on his cheek, rubbing his thumb gently over his cheekbone. "Hey," he said.

Takumi stirred and blinked at him groggily. "Hey," he said, voice hoarse from sleep. "What time is it?"

"Around eleven," Leo replied. He'd checked his phone as soon as he got into the apartment. "Which still gives me time to give you this."

Leo took Takumi's hand in his, then placed a small, colorfully decorated cardboard box in his open palm.

Takumi's eyebrows went up. "Oh," he said softly. "Is this...?"

"Happy Valentine's Day," Leo said.

The smile on Takumi's face was brighter than Leo had seen it in ages. "Thank you," he said, and he leaned forward and pulled Leo into a tight hug.

Leo buried his face in Takumi's shoulder.

"I thought you didn't like Valentine's Day," Takumi murmured.

"It's kind of hard not to get sucked into the whole atmosphere of it," Leo said. "Couldn't hold out forever."

Takumi pulled away. "Have you eaten? Did you see the stew on the table?"

"Ah, not yet," Leo said.

"You should do that." Takumi pushed his blankets aside and rose from the couch. "I'm going to go take a shower."

Leo took hold of his wrist, stopping him. "Actually...why don't you come to the table with me? Let's talk for a while. Hang out."

Takumi seemed to hesitate for a moment, then he smiled softly. "I'd like that."

They sat together at the table, and for a while Takumi seemed content to just watch Leo eat.

"Is it okay?" he asked.

Leo nodded. "Mhm," he hummed around a mouthful of stew. "Different, though." Neither of them had been great at cooking before they moved in with each other, but they'd gotten a fair amount of practice over the years.

"There was a whole bag of them in that one drawer of the fridge we never check, so I decided to use that as a soup base instead of the stuff we usually get," said Takumi. "You always buy a whole bunch of them and then never eat them."

Leo raised an eyebrow. "What? Yes I do.”

"Yeah, when I make you."

Leo rolled his eyes, but he didn't miss the way Takumi hid a smile behind his hand. It had been a while since they had time to just sit there and talk, even if it was just about small things and banter. He looked at the box he'd given Takumi, where it was just sitting on the table in front of him.

"Aren't you going to open your present?"

"Ah--" Takumi looked down and fiddled with the ribbon tied at the top.

"It's not going to bite you," Leo said.

Takumi's cheeks turned pink. "I know. I just, um, didn't get you anything."

"You made me dinner."

"I always make you dinner when you get in late."

"Which I don't thank you enough for." Leo reached across the table and squeezed Takumi's hand. "Open your present."

Takumi glanced at Leo, expression unreadable, then nodded. He pulled the ribbon apart carefully, as if he was afraid to break something, then lifted the lid and looked inside.

"Oh," he said as he pulled out a small chocolate cupcake. He looked up, expression soft. "My favorite."

"You'd think something so simple would be easier to find, but it turns out other people celebrate Valentine's Day too, so...it took me a while to find a place that still had anything," Leo felt the need to explain.

"Thank you," Takumi said. "You didn't have to do this for me."

"I wanted to," Leo said earnestly. He rose from his seat to retrieve a fork for Takumi, who took it from him.

"Did you want to try some?" Takumi asked.

"Why don't you taste it first."

Takumi took the first bite in the same way he had opened the box--with a strange sort of hesitant deliberation.

"Is it good?" Leo asked.

Takumi nodded, a smile playing at his lips. "I haven't eaten anything with sprinkles on it in years."

"I still don't get what you see in them, personally."

They laughed, and Leo was glad to be reminded of how much he liked the sound of their voices together.

But then Takumi's expression fell. "You heard me on the phone yesterday, didn't you? That's why you did all this."

Leo blanched. In hindsight, he probably should have expected Takumi to make such an obvious connection. "I did,” he admitted. “I'm sorry, I didn't mean to listen in."

"It's okay," Takumi said. He put his fork down. "And I should be apologizing, too. I shouldn't have made you feel bad about not liking one stupid holiday."

"That's not why I did this," Leo said, before backtracking when he saw Takumi's frown. "I mean, I did feel bad, but that's my fault. I haven't really been paying attention to you lately."

"Valentine's Day isn't that big of a deal, Leo," Takumi murmured. He looked like he wanted to run.

"I know it's not. It's just some over-commercialized holiday," said Leo. He took Takumi's hand again, holding it tightly. "But if stuff like this makes you happy, then I'm an idiot for missing out on all the chances I've had to do that for you up until now."

Takumi bit his lip, still looking unsure. "Leo..."

"Just thank me and eat your cupcake."

Takumi gave in with a laugh. "Thank you," he said, looking down shyly. "Really."

Leo kissed the back of Takumi's hand. "We'll make plans together next year."

Takumi looked up at him, eyes warm. "That sounds nice."

-:-

It was well past one in the morning by the time Takumi had finished his shower and joined Leo in bed, but despite his exhaustion after such a long day, Leo couldn't bring himself to close his eyes.

He turned onto his back and stared up at the ceiling as he listened to Takumi breathe beside him, feeling like he had missed too much of the day to let it end there. He glanced over towards Takumi, who slept facing the other way, and reached out to put a hand on his shoulder.

Takumi turned and looked at him through bleary eyes.

"Sorry," Leo whispered.

Takumi shook his head and slung an arm around Leo, leaning his forehead against Leo’s shoulder. "What is it?" he murmured.

Leo reached up and rested a hand on Takumi’s waist. "On the phone...you said that today would be the same as it was last year," Leo said. "What did you mean by that?"

"Just that you were coming home late," replied Takumi. "Is that what's been keeping you up? Go to sleep, Leo."

"What did we do on that day? After I got home, I mean," Leo pressed.

This time, it was a short while before Takumi answered. Leo wondered if he had already fallen back asleep.

"Takumi?" he prompted.

"You came home," Takumi said, not lifting his head. "I said 'Happy Valentine's Day' and asked if you wanted to eat. You said it back to me, then said you wanted to go to bed. Then we went to sleep."

"So...nothing," Leo concluded, his heart sinking. He didn't even remember any of this, yet Takumi had managed to recall it perfectly.

"You were tired."

"I was being an ass."

"Gods, Leo, it's just a dumb holiday." Takumi squirmed out of Leo's grip and made to turn away, but Leo stopped him with a hand on his shoulder.

"Look, I know it's not a big deal, but it's not just about the holiday, all right?" Leo said. "Just because it's not something to make a huge fuss over doesn't mean it's nothing. I want you to ask me for things that you want, even little things."

Takumi sighed and closed his eyes. "You don't have to spoil me just because I get whiny sometimes."

"So you  _ were _ upset."

Takumi scoffed. "Leo--"

"Hey." Leo stroked his hand over Takumi's cheek. "I get it. We're really different people and sometimes we have to compromise. But not always, okay?"

Takumi leaned into Leo's touch, but his troubled frown didn't disappear. "I just don't want you to feel like I'm always asking for too much."

"I've never thought that," Leo said.

Takumi stared up at him.

"Okay, I used to think that," Leo relented. "And I know it frustrated both of us. But you know that's not us now."

Takumi held Leo’s gaze, eyes searching, and didn’t reply.

"You don't have to be scared to ask anything of me," Leo said. Then, he paused to reconsider. "Well, anything within certain legal and reason-based constraints."

And it was then that Takumi finally broke, a reluctant smile pulling at the corners of his mouth. "You jerk," he muttered, and then he leaned forward and buried his face into Leo's chest.

Leo allowed himself a small smile as well as he wrapped his arms around Takumi, bringing a hand up to run his fingers through Takumi's hair. "I'm yours," he promised quietly. "Always."

"I know," Takumi said, and he lifted his head to look up at Leo, eyes bright under the moonlight streaming through the blinds. "Lucky me."

Leo brushed Takumi's bangs aside. His eyes were the first part of him Leo had fallen in love with. And it was on nights like these, when he felt especially close to Takumi in more ways than he could explain, that Leo thought about the day when he would have the courage to tell him that.

"You okay?" Takumi whispered, brushing a thumb under Leo's eye, though there were no tears.

"Yeah," Leo said, and he leaned down and kissed Takumi.


End file.
